Sonnen, proof you don't have to finish

Haven't started a topic in a while but this gets me. Chael Sonnen, the guy hasn't gotten a TKO victory since 2007, has finished ONE! fight in his last 11 and lost 4 out of those 11. Still the guy gets two shots at anderson, even after testing positive and now apparently gets one at Jon Jones? Is the UFC that desperate for ratings that they are willing to continue this? I thought it was about the best fighting the best? About excitement? I'm not seeing it in some of these title fights. Thanks UFC.

jae_1833

10/17/12 4:33:08PM

It's a combination of multiple reasons I think. 1. Silva vs Jones is not going to happen any time soon as the fighters don't seem to want the fight.2. Sonnen = ratings, nuff said3. TUF ratings for Fox = garbage4. Common fans don't care into the reasons they just love the hype

Theoutlaw08

10/17/12 5:15:42PM

Chael is a great fighter, but at this point he isn't deserving. He would have been fine as a last minute guy to save the card. To actually have this fight as a planned fight is clearly for ratings. TV shows on fox for an entire season and then for when they both fight. Jones and Silva won't fight because neither of them want to truly risk losing. They both have long win streaks going and don't really want to put that up for grabs. I think both fighters are willing to take other fights because they know they are that good and can continue to win. Plus when they fight, where the hell do they go from there. Beat the best, you are the best and then what? Maybe thats what is going through their minds....not sure. KInd of rambled there, oh well.

george112

10/17/12 5:16:31PM

Dude I haven't seen a post from you in foreverGood to see one

tcunningham

10/17/12 5:18:10PM

chael is legit, he brings ratings, and jon jones needs new opponents. yes chael has only finished one of his latest fights but he did bring silva closer to losing his belt than anybody else has. the second fight had to happen because of this. having chael as a coach on TUF will undoubtedly be good for ratings. ij good with the decision the ufc made with chael.

Bubbles

10/17/12 5:58:44PM

finishing fights or not, a win is a win. At the end of the day that's all that matters

frizzzlecake

10/17/12 7:53:08PM

Last time chael fought at 205 in the UFC Arlovski was champion...nuff said.

cmill21

10/19/12 12:57:00AM

Posted by Bubbles

finishing fights or not, a win is a win. At the end of the day that's all that matters

Completely disagree, combat sports are all about excitement. Think about which fighters are still in the UFC for this very reason. This is why boxing has faded into what it is, people would rather win then go for the kill. I fear this to is where MMA is headed.

Bubbles

10/19/12 5:12:57AM

Posted by cmill21

Posted by Bubbles

finishing fights or not, a win is a win. At the end of the day that's all that matters

Completely disagree, combat sports are all about excitement. Think about which fighters are still in the UFC for this very reason. This is why boxing has faded into what it is, people would rather win then go for the kill. I fear this to is where MMA is headed.

sports is all about winning. You don't win or perform well, you lose your job. Entertainment comes second, unless you have no chance at ever fighting for a title then take the Matt Brown route and have a .500 record while never sniffing at a co-main event fight to make a lot of money

Boxing has faded for much greater reasons than this.

cmill21

10/19/12 4:30:10PM

I think thats completely untrue. The UFC's rise was all about excitement, which was from ending fights. You look at the most popular top fighters, Anderson, Jones, Shogun, etc. they finish. Not only do you need to finish but you need to do it in great fashion to be the best. Well thats how it used to be, now the UFC is handing out title shots if you can talk to the camera and show up at press conferences. MMA has pushed out a lot of fans like me who don't watch it to see college wrestling. We've seen a huge influx of these guys and not only are they less exciting but they cause the guys they fight to avoid going for the kill. Heck even guys like Machida who strike are called boring because of how they fight. But hell lets turn the ultimate fighter into a talk show.

george112

10/19/12 5:02:15PM

I'm not gonna take a side.

But I will say that if a sport isn't entertaining I will not watch it. I know that it is subjective but that's the way it is for everyone. It's the reason why I don't watch baseball or soccer. They are both boring as hell to me.

Pertaining to MMA specifically the UFC. There is definitely a rise in decisions.

cmill is right. The UFC was more exciting back in the day when people were arm and head hunting

prozacnation1978

10/20/12 8:24:46AM

Ufc got desperate. Their tuf is a foot in the grave Sonnen and move from Friday night's will boost it.

I am not a sonnen fan. But best Ufc question and answer fight club I ever been too was him

Planning on going to April ppv fight. Perfect time for timeOff from work

airkerma

10/20/12 2:34:15PM

Only reading the title itself, I would imagine you also have a similar dislike for softcore porn for similar reasons. Seriously, who would actually pay those people?